4 OCTOBER 1,2006
Smoke Signals
Tribe's Community Fund Approves Alore Small Grants
Five agencies receive $18,500, in June; and eight agencies receive $34,248 in July.
By Ron Karten
A Corvallis church received $5,000
for a walk-in refrigerator as one of
June's monthly "small grants" from
the Spirit Mountain Community Fund
(SMCF). The First Christian Church
of Corvallis is a community-based, free
meal program that serves daily meals
to more than 2,000 hungry people in
Corvallis each month. The program is
non-sectarian. It is staffed completely
by volunteers and supported entirely
by private gifts. This is the second
grant to the program.
Non-profits with budgets of
$250,000 or less and projects val
ued at $10,000 or less are eligible
for these small grants, said Tribal
member Michelle Chrestensen, Com
munity Fund Secretary.
Salem Repertory Theatre and a
Portland transitional facility called
Transitional Youth, each received
$4,000 in Tribal support. The The
atre project aims to increase com
munity access to the stage. The
Transitional Youth request sought
funding for the group's educational
SPIRIT MOUNTAIN
COMMUNITY TUND
fund. These were the first Commu
nity Fund gifts for each group.
In all, five non-profits received
$18,500 in June's monthly "small
grants" giveaways.
In Lebanon, the Goal One Coali
tion, received $3,000 for a technol
ogySystems upgrade. Goal One
champions the role of citizens in
creating communities that are livable
and economies that are sustainable
within a healthy and diverse natural
environment. This is Goal One's first
Community Fund grant.
The Corvallis-based Valley AIDS
Information Network received $2,500
for the group's 24-hour AIDS, STD and
Hepatitis Hotline project. This is the
second small grant for the group.
In July, eight non-profits received
$34,248.
CASA Voices for Children, a Corvallis-based
non-profit providing advo
cates for children in the legal custody
of the state, received $5,248 for a
project called, "Fall Pre-Service Train
ing Session." The group has received
nearly $30,000 from the Community
Fund including one earlier grant.
Children's Healing Art Project, a
Portland-based non-profit bringing
artists and art programs to children
in crisis in Portland's hospitals and
shelters, received $5,000 for a project
called, "Friday Art Program." This is
the first grant for the group.
The Chuck Wagon Search & Res
cue, Inc., based in Keizer, received
$5,000 for a project entitled: "En
closed Kitchen Unit."
This is the group's first grant from
the Community Fund.
Friends of the Waldport Public
Library received $5,000 for the
"Waldport Public Library Physical
ExpansionRemodeling Project."
This is the group's first grant from
the Community Fund.
The Marion County Search and
RescueSpecial Vehicle Unit received
$5,000 for the purchase of the Special
Vehicle Unit. This is the group's first
grant from the Community Fund.
The Music Education Assistance
Project in Portland received $2,000
for "Music Education Assistance
Project Scholarships & Music pro
grams. This is the group's first grant
from the Community Fund.
The Oregon Council for Business
Education in Eugene received a $4,000
grant to support "Artrain USA," a trav
eling art gallery on train tracks (See
Smoke Signals, 6106 issue). This is
the first Community Fund grant for
the group, although the Tribe did give
directly to Artrain for the gallery's
recent visit to the area.
Oregon Cultural Access, a Portland-based
non-profit dedicated to
providing accessible arts and culture
experiences for people challenged by
disability, received $3,000. This is
the second award. O
Tribal Members Featured In New Spirit Mountain Community Fund Commercial
By Toby McClary
The Spirit Mountain Community
Fund has recently created many new
advertisements from billboards to
flyers and even a television commer
cial. According to Community Fund
Director and Tribal member Shelley
Hanson, the purpose of these ads is
to educate people that the money be
ing donated is by the Tribe and not
the casino.
"We need to get people to realize
that we are a Tribal entity," said
Hanson.
In 2001, the focus of the fund was
changed. Tribal Council wanted to
focus on making more grants for
smaller amounts.
"The money is now being invested
throughout 11 counties rather than
just the PortlandMetro area," said
Hanson. "These ads will build an
understanding of that."
The ads were in the making for
several months. They can now be
viewed by the public on flyers and
billboards throughout Oregon and
seen on television.
What makes these ads special is
the involvement of Grand Ronde
Tribal members. The commercial
features Tribal Elders Chips Tom
and Ed Pearsall and Tribal members
Jackie Provost, Reina Nelson and
Leland "Brother" Butler.
"These members were chosen be
cause we wanted Tribal members
for the Indian roles," said Hanson.
"Chips' face tells a lot of stories. He
was a logical fit for the role of the
Tribal Elder."
Tom played a major role in the idea
of the Community Fund in 1997. He
sat on Council when the decisions
were being made to create a fund
that would distribute money back to
the community.
"We needed to get it out there that
we weren't just making millions but
that we were also giving back," said
Tom. "I felt that giving back is where
it counts."
More ads and commercials are al
ready in the plan book for the fund.
After a year, they will re-film the
middle of the commercial to show
off other projects they are currently
working on and Butler will then take
over the feature spot.
Doing more commercials is an idea
that Tom is quite fond of.
"I think the commercial is one of the
best happenings for the Community
Fund," said Tom. "Not on the count
that I want to be on billboards or T.V.,
I did that for my Tribe."
According to all the people inter
viewed, there was a lot of credit to
be dispersed for the success of the
commercial and other ads.
"We worked a lot with the casino's
marketing team," said Hanson.
"They did a lot of the work and they
did a phenomenal job."
"I would like to compliment Shelley
for getting the ball rolling on this,"
said Tom.
"We want the Tribe to be represented
in a good way," said David Barker,
Graphics Manager for Spirit Mountain
Casino. "We wanted to show that the
Tribe really does help people."
LloydMaris Advertising, Inc. of
Portland was also a major contribu
tor to the creation of the ads and
commercial.
After all of the interviews were
done and the business was out of
the way, Tom let his humor come
out and play.
"People asked me how much money
I made doing the commercial," said
Tom. "I told them that I would have
to get back to them because I had
writer's cramp from signing too many
autographs."
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Tribal Elder Chips Tom and Tribal Youth Leland "Brother" Butler pose in front of a Spirit Mountain Community Fund billboard near Grand Ronde. Both were featured in a
commercial promoting the fund along with Tribal Elder Ed Pearsall and Tribal members Reina Nelson and Jackie Provost.